


He's Hydra

by atheistj



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M, villain Ward
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-19
Updated: 2015-03-19
Packaged: 2018-03-18 13:23:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3571193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/atheistj/pseuds/atheistj
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Skye's POV during the events of The Only Light in the Darkness and Nothing Personal.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Only Light in the Darkness

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic. I hope you guys like it. I've wanted someone to write something like this for a while. When no one did, I just went ahead and wrote it.

Skye smiled to herself as she completed her hack into the NSA. She had been right, it was tough. But whenever she was behind her laptop, she doubted there was anything in the world she couldn’t hack. She sent the feed to Eric’s monitors like he had asked, and covered up her tracks before the NSA noticed anyone had been there.

 

She left the bunk that she had been sleeping in since they arrived, and headed down the hall to Eric’s office. She was ready to finally get back out there and help people. This hack would help them do just that. Once they could see where the escaped prisoners from the Fridge went, they could track them down and stop them from hurting anyone. Hydra had already done enough damage. More innocent people didn’t need to get hurt. Skye would do whatever she could to keep that from happening.

 

She hoped Coulson and the team would be back soon. The sooner they got back, the sooner they could go out again. Even though SHIELD was gone, she knew Coulson wouldn’t stop trying to help people, just like her. Simmons had been a little unsure lately, but if Fitz stuck around, hopefully she would too. They needed to keep the team together. She needed them.

 

“Eric?” she said when she reached the doorway to his office. When she walked in, she didn’t see him. That was odd. “Eric?” she called again. She noticed the NSA footage of the Fridge on his monitors and walked right up to them. She scanned each picture, but she didn’t see anything. How can that be? How could hundreds of prisoners escape the Fridge and there’s no footage? Maybe she missed something…

 

“You did it.”

 

Skye jumped a bit at the voice from behind her and turned. It was Ward. She let out a breath. She hadn’t heard him come in.

 

“Koenig said you managed to hack the NSA.” Ward said as he approached her.

 

“Yeah, it looks that way,” Skye said as she continued to look at the monitors. There had to be _something._ Then she remembered Eric. “Where’d he go?” she asked as she turned back to Ward.

 

“He’s sending everything over to NATO, CIA, Interpol. Guess he hopes they’ll take it as a sign of good faith from SHIELD.” Ward was quick to respond.

 

Skye looked back at the monitors again; still frustrated that she couldn’t see anything of the escaped prisoners. “That’s smart,” she commented. “Though, looks like all I got was lots of views of an empty rooftop.” She was disappointed, and it didn’t make sense. She was still pondering how there could possibly be nothing to show of the prisoners when Ward spoke again.

 

“May’s gone.”

 

Now he really had her attention. She turned back to him, confused. “What do you mean gone? Gone where?”

 

“She left. I’m sure if I asked where, she wouldn’t have told me.”

 

May is gone? Why? Skye thought she would have at least stayed for Coulson’s sake, but the two of them had been on the rocks lately, maybe even worse than she thought. She couldn’t help but feel hurt. Skye had come to like May. They had their differences, but they had come to an understanding. Now she was mad. May just walked out on all of them when they still needed her. After all the lies she told them, she just left.

 

“Wow. So no goodbye? No nothing?”

 

Ward shook his head.

 

Skye’s mouth was hanging open. She hated that she was hurt. Skye might have been mad at May for lying to them, but she thought that after all they had been through together, that she still cared about them, not just Coulson, but the team. Even her.

 

“She never felt anything for us, did she? She just played us so she could keep an eye on Coulson.” She knew she was lashing out, but she needed to focus her frustration on something, and May was an easy target at the moment.

 

“That was her mission.” Here comes Ward, the voice of reason, as always.

 

Oh no, she’s being selfish. Ward was the one with the relationship with May; surely he’s much more hurt by her leaving.

 

“Did you feel anything for her?” she asked, genuinely curious, taking a few steps forward.

 

“No.” For a moment, Skye was surprised. He felt nothing for her? He continued, “The only comfort we took in each other was knowing we didn’t have to--”

 

“You can’t choose to feel.” Skye interrupted. She had a hard time believing that there were no feelings at all between them. She had figured out their relationship months ago. When she commented to him that May “needs to get laid” and Ward stiffened. She knew then that there was something going on. She kept her mouth shut. It’s not like it was any of her business. She only brought it up at the Hub because she was confused about why he was suddenly asking her to have a drink with him when she knew he was with May.

 

“Usually I can.” God, he really likes having those walls up. “It’s different with us.” Ward got up from where he was leaning on the couch and walked over to the counter. Skye made a face and watched him go. She felt apprehensive all of a sudden. He was bringing up ‘us’ when they hadn’t even come close to an actual relationship, at least not the kind he was talking about.

 

“‘Us’ is a strong word,” she said as Ward reached up and grabbed what looked like bourbon from the shelf. She silently wondered if they should ask Eric before taking his drinks. She approached him. “I mean, I know I kissed you but to be fair I thought there was a ninety seven percent chance we were gonna…die.” This was true. The world was basically ending, so she thought ‘why not?’ and planted one on him. She didn’t expect he’d be talking about a relationship anytime soon. “But we didn’t die!” She opted for humor.

 

“Which is good,” Ward said, pouring a drink.

 

“Yes, that is very good,” she was still deflecting. “But there’s still no rush on us being an ‘us.’” She wasn’t exactly looking to be with anyone at all right now. There was way too much happening to worry about a boyfriend. She was still surprised that he was the one to bring it up. He was pouring another drink. She voiced what she was thinking, “It’s not like it’s a good time to start anything.”

 

“There’s never a good time,” he said. Again, surprising Skye. He seemed to be pushing this, and she couldn’t figure out why.

 

He put the bottle down and picked up a glass, handing it to her. “We’ve gotta start somewhere,” he said.

 

She smiled then. Why the hell not? It’s not like it’s a proposal.

 

*****

 

Ward ended up telling her about the feelings that he had apparently been having for her for a long time. All of this was news to Skye. She had had something of a crush on him for a while, but she figured it would never go anywhere, especially when she knew about May. It actually surprised her at the time that she wasn’t the least bit jealous. When she figured out what was going on with May and Ward, she was a little taken aback, but she was never jealous. That’s when she realized she didn’t have many feelings for Ward at all, and it’s not like he ever gave her any real indication that he had feelings for her.

 

Yet here he was, making this declaration to her about what he has felt for months, and she couldn’t say she felt the same way. She hoped he wasn’t expecting her to, but she couldn’t tell, he seemed to be wrapped up in himself for the moment while she sat across from him and sipped her bourbon.

 

“If that’s how you felt, you had a funny way to show it,” Skye said when he had finished his speech.

 

He hesitated. “Specialists…don’t spend time with a lot of people. The ones we do, we’re all cut from the same cloth.”

 

“Black Kevlar?” She asked, once again opting for humor as she took another sip of her drink.

 

He didn’t laugh. “Trained to get the job done. Keep emotions in check.” She had to smile at this. This is how she always knew him. He’s more closed off than anyone she’s ever met. Sometimes it was like talking to a wall.

 

“But you…” he continued. “You’re different.”

           

“Different bad?”

           

“Bad for me,” Skye raised her eyebrows at this. Jeez, was this guy really that scared of his own feelings? “I didn’t want to think about you, I wanted to stay focused. Then I saw you. After you were shot. Fighting to stay alive.” She looked away. She didn’t really want to think about that right now. Suddenly she remembered that Ian Quinn was out of the Fridge, and how she couldn’t get the surveillance footage, when Ward continued, “But you’re right. I’m Kevlar. You’re not.”

           

She wasn’t getting this. It’s like he was stuck in his determination not to feel. That didn’t make sense to her. “You don’t have to be,” she said. “You don’t have to shut people out.”

           

“Yeah, I do.” Like talking to a wall. “There are things about me…that you wouldn’t like. If you knew.”

 

She assumed he was talking about his childhood again; he had given her some view on what that was like, and that was something she could relate to. Some foster homes she stayed in, she would rather forget about. “You think I don’t have skeletons?”

           

“It’s different,” he said. He looked sad as he stared at her. “You’re…good.”

           

Now this surprised her. Having a hard childhood doesn’t make someone bad. He shouldn’t think that he’s a bad person just because of what was done to him. He had done so much for her and the team, he couldn’t think that way.

 

“So are you,” she said, and meant it.

           

He shook his head. “Not always.” She was getting more and more confused as he kept talking. He looked at her again. “I lied to you.” She let out a breath, immediately frustrated. There had been a lot of lies told to her lately. “My older brother…he didn’t beat up my younger brother. He was crueler than that. He made me do it.”

           

She hadn’t been expecting _that._ Wow. His brother was even worse than she had thought. For a moment, she wondered what had become of him, and felt a surge of sympathy for Ward.

           

“And I let him. I was afraid of him,” Ward continued.

           

“What about your parents?” Skye asked.

           

“They were worse,” he said. Skye didn’t even want to imagine what was behind those words. He looked up at her again.

           

“I am not a good man, Skye.” Ward told her.

           

She looked at him. That wasn’t true. He had been nothing but good to all of them since she had known him. “Hey…” she said, getting up from her chair and sitting next to him on the couch. She took his hand, wanting to comfort him. She put her other hand on his cheek and turned his face so he would look at her. “Yes you are,” she said, with as much compassion as she could muster.

           

For a moment, he searched her face, almost desperately. Then he surprised her again. He put his hand on the back of her neck, pulled her forward and kissed her. His other hand immediately went to the other side of her face and pulled her closer. She had merely been trying to comfort him. So for him to kiss her like this was unexpected. It was certainly a lot more frantic than their first kiss had been. Her hands went to his neck and she kissed him back.

           

She moved her hand up, meaning to touch his hair, but when she touched behind his ear, she felt something wet. She pulled away for a moment, confused. He was staring at her, smiling, as she pulled her hand away to look at it. She looked at her fingers, and there was blood. She looked back up at him, to see if he was cut somewhere, when he quickly got up and moved away. She got up too, wondering if he was okay.

           

“Yeah, one of my—one of my cuts must have just opened up,” he was rubbing behind his ear, where she found the blood. He started backing away.

           

“Let me help, let me help,” Skye offered. Moving her hand up to his injury. He pushed her hand away and backed up further.

           

“No, no, no,” he muttered. “I just need to clean up.” He walked out of Eric’s office.

           

 _Weird._ When he walked out, Skye went back over to Eric’s desk and looked through some files. Maybe one of the Fridge prisoners had been spotted. She started wondering what was taking Eric so long when she looked over his desk and found the tablet that he had been using to keep watch on all of them using their lanyards. She picked it up and saw the dot labeled “Koenig” showing that he was on the other side of the base.

           

“There you are, Eric,” she said. She started walking out of the room, wanting to find him. Maybe he saw something in the footage that she didn’t. She wanted to get started in finding these prisoners. The thought of them out there hurting people while she was in there was killing her.

           

She walked through the halls. The place was big; it was impressive that they could hide it at all. She wondered if this would be their new base, a place they could come back to after missions. It seemed like the perfect place for it.

           

She got closer to the red Koenig dot, and apparently he was in a storage closet. That was weird. Why would he be in there? He wasn’t moving either. She knocked on the door. “Eric?” When there was no answer, she opened the door and heard something hit the floor. She looked down and there was a penny. Confused, she bent down and picked it up. “That’s weird,” she said as she put it in her pocket.

           

She continued searching the room, calling out for Eric. This kept getting weirder. He didn’t seem like he would take off his lanyard, so he had to be in here. She turned a corner and paused to look down at the tablet again. Maybe she wasn’t reading it properly.

           

Something was dripping on it. Something red. Confused, she looked up, and her jaw dropped in horror.

           

Eric was in the air vent directly above her, bleeding around his neck. He was dead. Skye threw her hand over her mouth, and that was all she could do to keep herself from screaming. She looked around, petrified that someone might be in the room with her. Then she looked at the tablet again and saw Ward on the move. Realization hit her. It was the only thing that made sense. May left hours ago, the rest of the team was gone; no one could have possibly gotten in. It was the only explanation.

           

“Ward,” she whispered. _He’s Hydra._

           

The next terrifying reality that she had to face was that she was alone with him. She looked at the tablet again; he was still far enough away. Immediately she ran out of the storage closet, closed the door, and sprinted to the bathroom down the hall. When she got in, she all but collapsed.

           

 _This can’t be happening._ Was everything a lie? He has been a part of the team, someone that she relied on, who she trusted with her life, and he was Hydra. She realized everything at once. Garrett must have ordered Ward to shoot Thomas Nash to keep his cover as the Clairvoyant. Victoria Hand had been transporting Garrett to the Fridge, and Ward had gone with her. Garrett must be alive and Hand must be dead. It was Ward and Garrett who had released all of the prisoners at the Fridge. This was all coming to her too fast, she couldn’t contain her sobs.

           

“Skye?” she heard Ward call her from somewhere in the base. She gasped and whirled around, terrified. He called her name again and she collapsed on the floor.

           

“He’s Hydra,” she said. The reality hitting her full force. There was no hiding from this. It was really happening. She felt a sudden longing for May. Then a terrifying thought hit her, what if she was dead? Ward could have been lying about her leaving. God, she hoped May was alive. She mentally slapped herself for being angry at May earlier, because now, she would give anything to have May with her.

           

She was alone. May had left or was dead. Eric was dead. Coulson, Fitz, Simmons, and Trip were long gone, and who knows when they would be coming back. She had to figure this out herself, because no one was coming to save her.

           

“Okay,” she whispered to herself. “Okay, okay.” She got up. There had to be something she could do. She began searching the room. First she checked the medicine cabinet, she heard Ward call for her again and cringed, knowing she didn’t have much time. She was hoping Eric had weapons hidden in the base. Maybe she could find a gun and shoot Ward in the kneecaps. Her aim had gotten a lot better in the past few months, she knew she could do it if she could catch him off guard.

           

There was nothing in the medicine cabinet; she tried all the cabinets on the walls, searching for anything she could use, some kind of weapon. But there was nothing. She closed the cabinet and stood up. For a moment, she was at a loss. Then she looked at the wall directly across from her. It was one of those window projectors that had apparently made the isolation more bearable for Eric. It was a nighttime picture of a city somewhere. Skye approached it, and she had an idea.

           

There was a lever that could be used to switch the pictures, she quickly did so, and it switched to the picture of a sunset and trees. She ripped the lever out of the socket and pressed the sharp end into the picture. She wrote, as big as she could, and as quickly as she could:

           

WARD IS HYDRA

           

Then she pressed her hands into the picture and slid them down, trying to pull the window back to the nighttime city picture. She had clearly broken the thing, but when she got the nighttime picture back, she shoved the lever as hard as she could into the corner of the window, hoping it would stick. It did. Surely someone would notice that this one was nighttime while the rest were daytime when they got back. God, she hoped someone would notice. She didn’t have time to worry about it though. This was her only option. She was going to have to play Ward. Make him think she didn’t know anything. But she didn’t know if she could.

           

Skye ran out of the bathroom as quickly and quietly as she could. Ward was still calling her, and he was getting closer, probably checking her bunk. She opened the door to the storage closet, where she had found Eric’s body, pulled the penny out of her pocket, and tried to edge it back onto the top of the door. She stood on her toes, as high as she could, and she managed to get it to a spot so that it would fall if anyone opened the door. Just like Ward had placed it earlier.          

           

Then she ran to the opposite hallway that she heard Ward’s voice coming from, he was seconds away from her now. She stood against the wall so he wouldn’t be able to see her. She heard him enter the hallway. He paused for a moment. Skye’s heart was racing. She was terrified that if he opened the door, the penny wouldn’t fall, and he would know. She couldn’t fight Ward. As far as she had come in recent months, she couldn’t take down someone of his caliber.

           

She heard his footsteps again, and then he opened the storage closet door, when she heard this, she stepped out from her hiding spot, and put a smile on her face, when all she wanted to do was scream.

           

As he looked into the storage closet, she spoke, “Hey,” he turned and saw her then. “Think I’d be hiding in a closet?”

           

He smiled and shut the door. “I was wondering where you went,” he said as he approached her. “I went back to the room, you weren’t there.” She kept her eyes on him as he stopped in front of her, suddenly much more aware of him than she ever was. “Why’d you leave?”

           

“Truth?” she asked.

           

He narrowed his eyes. “I’d appreciate it.”

           

_Because you’re a disgusting Hydra bastard who has murdered God knows how many people, and I want nothing more than to send to a prison where you belong._

“You scared me,” she said. Hey, it was the truth. The next thing she said was a lie. “Opening up…and that kiss, which was a very nice kiss, I admit.” When she remembered kissing him, she wanted to vomit. When she thought about how she was about to do it again, she wanted to vomit.

           

“I didn’t mean to scare you,” Ward said.

           

“I don’t exactly overanalyze. I just act impulsively and then I freak out, after the fact,” she said. Hoping to offer a better explanation for why she left. She was still terrified that he was suspicious. He could kill her at any moment.

           

“Are you still?” How funny. He was asking her if she was still freaked out. She’d love to scream in his face that yes, she was freaked out, because she’s stuck in a secret base, miles from help, with a murderer.

           

Instead, she shook her head, leaned forward, and kissed him. She put her hand in his hair, and he had his hand on her waste. His touch made her sick. The fact that she had to kiss him made her sick. But she was so scared that he would figure out that she knew. This was the only way she could think of to try and convince him. She pulled away from the kiss, it had been short, but felt much longer.

           

“No,” she said, answering his question. “I’m good,” she smiled, hoping it looked genuine. She didn’t think she’d ever been further away from ‘good.’ She told him another lie. “I want this.”

           

He smiled at that. She couldn’t get a read on him. He was using her for something. Was this whole relationship just a game to him? Was he trying to get inside her head by pretending he had feelings for her? She asked the closest thing she could to that question.

           

“And you?” she asked. “What do you want?”

           

“What I want…is to stay here with you and imagine the world outside doesn’t exist,” he said.

           

Skye forced a smile, though nothing had ever sounded so horrifying to her.

           

“But the world outside does exist,” Ward said. She looked up at him, nervous. “I just got word from Fitz. They need our help. Bus is fueled up, ready to go.” He started to walk away. Skye turned and did her best not to panic as her mind raced, trying to come up with a reason to stay.

           

“We should tell Koenig,” she said, hoping he wouldn’t have a response to that.

           

“I just did. He’s headed outside to open the hangar doors. We’re in a hurry,” he was all too eager to leave.

           

She had to do something, she couldn’t leave with him. How would the team find her? “I just gotta grab a couple of things…” she moved away from him, maybe she could find an Icer.

           

As soon as she began to walk away, Ward grabbed her arm and pulled her back. She stiffened the second he touched her. “Hey,” he said, and looked at her. Skye knew she looked scared, but she couldn’t help it. Every moment she was with him was like a nightmare. “We need to go right now.”

           

She tried to smile again, like nothing was wrong. Like she was okay with how he roughly grabbed her arm and pulled her back. “Of course we do,” she said. “Lead the way.”

           

Ward smiled and finally let go of her arm. He turned away and started walking. Skye followed, once again hoping he wasn’t suspicious, and wondering if he was taking her to her death. Ward suddenly held out his hand. For a moment, she wondered why, and then she understood that he wanted her to hold it. _He wants to hold hands._ The last thing she wanted to do was touch him again. But she had no choice. She slipped her hand into his and did her best not to wrench it away.

 

*****

 

A while later, Skye was thousands of feet in the air, sitting with Ward in the cockpit of the Bus. The sun had started to rise. She absently wondered if this was going to be the last sunrise she would ever see. If this would be the day she died.

           

“It’s so beautiful,” she said. Then she turned to look at Ward, trying to get back into the head of pretending she knew nothing about who Ward really was. “So are we off to Portland?”

           

“Actually, Fitz thinks the 0-8-4 plasma ray we found in Peru might help.” That was the last thing Skye thought he would say. What does that have to do with anything? She was still wondering why she was here at all.

           

“Didn’t we jettison that to the sun?” she asked.

           

“But Fitz has the specs on it,” Ward said, looking at her expectantly.

           

Then it hit her. She knew why he needed her, why he had brought her with him. “On the hard drive,” she said. Ward nodded, still smiling. She wished she could slap it off his face. “You need me to decrypt the hard drive.” She looked away.

           

“The team does,” Ward said. She looked at him again. “And since it’s coupled to specific coordinates, Agent Skye, you’re in charge,” Skye was suddenly all too relieved that she was the only one who knew those coordinates. “Where to next?” he asked her.

           

Skye smiled. Now she had a plan.


	2. Nothing Personal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The second and last chapter. Hope you like it.

After Skye told Ward to head to Los Angeles, they sat in the cockpit together, sometimes making small talk, sometimes sitting in silence. After about an hour, she said she wanted to take a look at the hard drive on her laptop, which was back in the cargo hold. She was hoping he would let her go alone, but no such luck. He immediately said he would go with her, obviously to keep an eye on her.

           

Thankfully, he hadn’t tried to kiss her or touch her again since they had gotten on the plane. This was good considering Skye wasn’t sure if she could handle his touch again without puking. That would be a pretty good indication that she knew about him, and she couldn’t have that. It was important that she stay calm and act like she was happy to be with him.

           

When they got to the cargo hold, she grabbed her laptop and placed it on the holotable in Fitzsimmons’ lab. She felt a sudden longing for them. She hoped they were okay. She wished she were with them right now. They had shared so many laughs and happy moments in this lab, she was in a place that should be safe, but she was only terrified.

 

Ward handed her the hard drive, and she plugged it into her computer. Skye had two advantages, Ward didn’t know that she knew about him, and he also knew nothing about computers, while she knew everything about computers. Ward said something about spray painting over the SHIELD emblem on the car so they can use it to get to the diner. He walked off, obviously going to find spray paint.

 

For a moment she was alone, she took the opportunity to look for a gun or an Icer, or anything she could use. She checked in Fitz’s drawers and found a gun, she almost cheered with joy. Then she checked the barrel chamber for bullets…and it was empty.

 

“Dammit,” she muttered under her breath. She heard Ward coming back, so she tucked the gun in the back of her pants. He walked in and he smiled at her. Like a good little kidnap victim, she smiled back.

 

He walked over to the SHIELD vehicle and began spray painting over the emblem. _The Nazi is blacking out SHIELD. How appropriate._ Skye thought. She looked at the laptop and saw that she could unlock it right now if she put in the password. They were high enough in the air, and that is how she locked it, based on altitude. Ward didn’t know that though, and he couldn’t ever know. She didn’t even want to think of the things Hydra could do with the information on that hard drive.

 

She had a plan once they got to the diner, but really, she’d like to get out of here before it comes to that. If she could find some bullets, she could shoot him and call Coulson. But she couldn’t fly the plane…her situation wasn’t looking good no matter how much she tried to come up with a way out.

 

Ward looked over at her while spray painting, she looked at him, trying to look happy. He smiled at her and she smiled back. When he looked away, her face fell and she glared at him. _Nazi bastard._ She popped the hard drive out of her laptop and looked over at Ward, he was still spraying. She walked over to the cabinets on the other side of the lab, still keeping an eye on Ward. Hopefully Fitzsimmons kept some bullets hidden up there. She opened the cabinet and rummaged through its contents for a moment.

 

“Fitz keeps the candy under his bunk.”

 

Skye gasped a whirled around. Ward was directly behind her. How the hell did he move so quietly? She panicked once again about him getting suspicious and put on a smile.

 

“What are you up to?” he asked.

 

She quickly made up an excuse. “I’m just looking for the sat phone to call the team. Make sure everyone’s all right. No one’s…blown up.” That sounded reasonable.

 

“Oh, I’ve got the phone. I just talked to Coulson a little while ago,” he said, calm as always.

 

“You did?” _Bullshit._ It amazed her how easily he could lie.

 

“Yeah, sorry. Should’ve told you,” he said. “They’re okay. But the sooner we get to the location and decrypt that drive--”

           

“The sooner we can rendezvous with the team,” Skye finished for him. He had started to repeat himself. He’s being just a little too pushy.

           

“Exactly,” he smiled. Why is he smiling so much?

           

It was time to get away from him; he was standing too close. “Seemed like a smart play at the time,” she said, using the line to walk back to her laptop. “Geo-locking the drive. I didn’t think it’d backfire on us.”

           

“It hasn’t backfired. The drive is supposed to be impossible to crack.” He walked over to her and got in her space again as he leaned over her as she typed. She wished he would stop. “Pretty specific coordinates though.” He backed away from her, thank God. “You could’ve picked anywhere in the world. Why a random diner in L.A.?”

           

She wondered why he was asking, and if it was because he was on to her. Luckily, she had an answer prepared. She turned around to look at him. “It was already built into my encryption. Never changed it. But it’s fitting. It’s where I met Mike Peterson.” _A man that was tortured and mutilated by the people you work for._ “It’s where this whole SHIELD roller coaster started.” She tried to shift the attention. “Plus, tactically, what do you look for in a drop sight?”

           

“Public place, lots of people, multiple exits.” Ever the super spy.

           

“Yep. Figured if I ever got in trouble, I’d be safe there.”

           

“Oh, you’ll be plenty safe.” He had been leaning against the counter across from Skye, now he got up and approached her. She chuckled nervously, but her mind was screaming at her to run. She hoped he wouldn’t kiss her, or anything else that she didn’t even want to contemplate. She gripped the edge of the counter she was leaning on and cringed as he came right up to her and wrapped his hands around her waist. Then she realized what he was doing. He took her gun.

           

As he stepped away, he said, “This, however, is not the answer.”

           

She couldn’t help it, she looked at him hatefully, and she hardly cared if it made him suspicious. He lied to her for months, works for Nazis, kills innocent people, and he just took her only means to defend herself. She wanted to strangle him.

           

She plastered another fake smile on her face and said, “What’s the matter? A girl can’t defend herself?” Her glare was back.

           

“In this situation, the last thing we can afford is to get pinched on a concealed weapons charge.” _Always an explanation._

She had to calm herself for a moment. She hated being stuck here with him, defenseless. She hated feeling weak. “You’re right. _Again.”_ She tried to go back to the Skye he wants to see. “Couldn’t find any rounds anyway.” _Because if I did, you’d be a lot less mobile right now._

“Hey,” he said. “We are going to be okay.” He approached her again, the last thing she wanted. He put his arms around her. “I promise, until this thing is over, I’m not gonna let you out of my sight.”

           

 _What a nightmare._ She smiled up at him. He put his hand on her back and pulled her into a hug. She frowned. If he kept touching her, she didn’t know how she was going to get through this. She hugged him back, the last person in the world she wanted to be with, and he wasn’t going to be easy to get away from.

 

*****

 

Once they landed, they got in the SHIELD vehicle and headed into L.A. Skye kept repeating her plan over and over in her head. She needed to do this once they got to the diner, but it would take time. Ward wasn’t used to her taking very long to hack anything. She would need to come up with a reason.

           

They parked around the corner from the diner. They started walking over, and as they turned the corner, Skye said, “I can’t remember the last time I sat in a restaurant.”

           

“I know. It’s been all tubes, tunnels, and plane food,” Ward said.

           

“Maybe I will get pie for dessert,” she slipped in the first hint, and wasn’t even sure if she wanted him to pick up on it.

           

“Dessert? I was hoping we’d be done by the time I finished coffee.” He did pick up what she said and suddenly looked nervous. Maybe he had a time limit.

           

“Do you have any idea how long it’ll take to decrypt this drive?” she asked him. _Five minutes if we were in the right place._

“For you I figured ten minutes.” _How sweet._

“Not even close.” Thank God Ward’s an idiot when it comes to computers. She started listing off a bunch of computer jargon that she knew he wouldn’t understand as an explanation for why it would take so long.

           

“Spare me the details. Give me the time frame.” She managed to piss him off a bit. He sounded anxious.

           

“An hour would be a miracle.” Hopefully that would be enough time for her to alert the cops, let them show up, and arrest both of them. She’d have to do this quickly, and pray the cops will light a fire under their asses.

           

“Coulson needs this yesterday.” _Oh, you’re so worried about Coulson? When you let him get kidnapped and tortured?_

“My laptop’s not a time machine, Ward. That’s the science.” She should just thank her lucky stars that he doesn’t have Fitz’s brain. Otherwise this would never work. She stared at him and he stared back. She prayed he bought it, or she was done for. Do Hydra agents mind public executions? She doubted it.

           

He walked over to the door and opened it. “Guess we’re having dessert.” She walked in. He’s annoyed, but he bought it. That’s all that matters.

 

*****

 

They had been sitting in the diner for maybe twenty minutes. Skye was furiously typing into her keyboard, trying to look busy. She had already sent an alert to the police, giving them their location. But she was trying to figure out a way to turn her laptop around and take a picture of Ward so she could send that to them as well. When she looked up, she saw the perfect opportunity.

           

“You’re staring again,” she said.

           

He shrugged. “I’m not allowed to do that?” _No. It’s creepy._

She looked up at him. “I told you,” she turned her laptop around to face Ward, he looked at the screen, which just had a bunch of mapping and GPS signals on it, all of it meant nothing. “It’s a complicated hack.” She moved her finger up slightly and pressed the spacebar, snapping a picture of him. She checked to see if he noticed, but he gave no indication.

           

“You’re mistaking my admiration for impatience,” he said as she turned her computer back around.

           

“No, it’s impatience.”

           

“Hey, sorry. Didn’t mean to stress you out.”

 

Quickly, she sent the picture, now they would know what he looked like. She could see that he was on edge and tried to use that to her advantage. “Maybe you should duck outside. Try again on the sat phone, just to make sure.” If he left her alone, she could run like hell, or use the phone at the diner. It would certainly go a lot faster that way, and she wouldn’t have to keep up appearances.

 

“No. We stick together. We stick to the plan.” The guy was not going to be taking his eyes off her. “The sooner you decrypt this hard drive--”

 

“The sooner we get to them,” Skye said, finishing his sentence yet again. He was clearly getting stressed about this, or he wouldn’t keep repeating himself. “I heard you twice the first time.” Skye went to access the hard drive, and as she knew it would, the screen said:

 

LOCATION INVALID ACCESS DENIED.

 

Despite knowing this would happen, she found herself getting nervous. Ward was getting more and more antsy, and she didn’t know how long it would take for the cops to get there. Being under Ward’s constant watch when she was hardly a SHIELD agent herself made her nervous enough. For what felt like the thousandth time, she wished she was with her team.

 

“Are you alright?” Ward asked her. He reached over and put his hand over her wrist. She guessed that was supposed to be comforting, but all it did was make her skin crawl. She couldn’t just wrench her hand away though, so she dealt with his touch for a moment. "You look nervous."

 

“How can you tell?” she asked him. “Super spy?” she supposed that could sound condescending, but she hardly cared.

 

“Staying unnaturally still to keep from fidgeting. Maintaining eye contact to give the impression of confidence.” He started listing things off. “What’s wrong?”

 

She pulled her hand away finally, not able to think straight when he’s touching her. She exited out of the access denied screen and told another story. “The last time I was sitting in this booth, I was sitting across from Mike Peterson, a good man, and now he’s a murderer.” She took him aback with this, but he seemed to be listening. “And we are FBI’s Most Wanted. It’s just that any moment, something could go horribly wrong.”

 

“Relax. You’re doing great.” It’s amazing how he had no idea that the something that could go horribly wrong was him.

 

“Hiding what I’m thinking and feeling doesn’t come as easy for me as it does for you.” She supposed that sounded insulting, but she kind of wanted to in that moment.

 

“It comes with experience.” _Yeah, you’ve been pretending you’re not a Nazi for years._

 

Skye scoffed. “Yeah, I guess it does.”

 

Two cops walked in then. Skye noticed them when Ward did. She let out a sigh of relief. They must be there for them, or it would be the cruelest coincidence in history. She wondered how long she would have to wait. Ward got out a menu and tried to look nonchalant. Skye wanted nothing more than to run to those cops and beg them to take her away.

 

*****

 

A while later, they were still sitting in that booth, and the cops were still sitting at the bar. She wished they would arrest them already. Ward was getting more and more impatient, and she was on the verge of breaking in every moment.

           

“How much longer?” Ward asked for what seemed like the tenth time.

           

“Half hour,” Skye said. She knew time was not on her side at this point.

           

“You said that a half an hour ago.” He really wanted to get out of there.

           

“Weren’t you the one who told me to relax?” Skye asked, she was actually impressed with how calm she was managing to pretend to be. He seemed like the hysteric one.

           

Ward looked at over at the cops and then back at her. “Those cops over there keep looking at us.”

           

Skye looked at the cops, trying to will them to come over and arrest them. “They were just checking out the waitress.” _How ironic. I’m keeping Ward calm over the cops I’ve tipped off._ “They don’t know you’re pretending to be someone you’re not.” _And the irony continues._

           

He cracked smile for the first time since the cops came in. “Yeah, alright. Who am I pretending to be?”

           

Skye looked at him, and told him something he’d want to hear. “My impatient boyfriend.” The words tasted bad in her mouth.

           

“I like that cover,” he said, as he noticed another police car driving by outside. She really needed to distract him.

           

Her cover was about to be blown. She decided to cut the bullshit for the last part of this horror show. “What’s the longest you’ve ever been undercover? Like, deep undercover.”

           

He was still looking at the cops. “Uh, sixteen months.” He looked back at her; hopefully she had his attention now.

           

“When was that?” She had to keep him talking.

           

It was five years ago in Russia, if that was even the truth.

           

“That’s gotta be so hard. Living a double life like that.” She was starting to unravel. “Getting close to people, only to turn on them. I don’t know how Garrett did it.”

           

“Garrett?” He wasn’t expecting that.

           

“Think about all that time he spent as your S.O.,” she said. “Getting to know you. Being your mentor. Only to lie to your face. Betray you like that.” _I’m talking about you, asshole._

           

He hesitated. Must be a weird conversation for him. “It was uh…difficult to accept. But thankfully that’s over.”

           

“Because you took care of him,” she said. _Yeah, Ward. Remember that lie? How you shot Garrett in the head? Or are you starting to lose track?_

She had never seen Ward look so uncomfortable, and honestly, she loved it. “Can we not discuss this right now?”

           

But she pressed on. “If you had one more moment before you shot him in the back of the head _so heroically_ , if he was sitting right here, and you could say anything you want, what would you say?”

           

“Skye--” he tried to interrupt, but she wasn’t having it.

           

“Would you say he’s disgusting? Would you tell him he’s a disgusting, back-stabbing traitor?” For the first time since she found out who he really was, she was telling Ward to his face what she thought of him. “Or to rot in hell?”

           

“What are you doing?” he asked. He still didn’t know?

           

“I’m just trying to have an honest conversation _for once.”_ That was the most honest she’s been in a long time, and it felt good.

           

Ward looked at her for a moment, and she thought he might say something, but then he noticed the cops asking people to leave. Ward started to get up. “They’re starting to clear people out, we should go.”

           

“No, I think I’m good here,” Skye said as she pulled up his picture on her laptop.

           

“ _Skye_ ,” he said urgently. “We’ve been made, come on.”

           

“No.” Skye turned her laptop around to show him his picture, with the words WANTED FUGITIVE plastered on his face. “I tipped them off.” This was the most satisfying feeling she’s had in a while, to see the look of shock on his face. She decided to throw the words of his bullshit cause back in his face. “Hail Hydra,” she said to him.

           

“You two! Show me your hands, now!” The cops were back in the diner after having cleared it. There were a couple of them, and they were pointing their guns right at them. “Out of the booth. Nice and slow.”

           

Skye got up without hesitation. Finally ready to get away from Ward. She heard Ward get up behind her.

           

“Alright, turn around. Hands on your heads,” the cop told them. Skye was nervous about this part.

           

“Just be careful. He’s armed,” she said as she turned around, Ward turned too, watching her. Ward wasn’t actually armed. She just wanted the cops to be as careful as possible when searching him.

           

Skye was watching him as they were being searched, and Ward looked at her one more time before he threw his elbow back, punched the cop that was searching him, and kicked him to the floor. The cop that was searching Skye got right into the fight, and the rest of the cops in the diner all went at him at once. Skye knew she didn’t have a lot of time; these guys were no match for Ward. She needed to get out of there. She quickly put her laptop and the hard drive in her backpack as she heard glass breaking and people being thrown around behind her. She saw that the cops had a hold of Ward as she sprinted out of the diner.

           

“SKYE!” she heard Ward scream after her. She put on an extra burst of speed to get the hell out of there.

           

When she got outside, she saw two more cops getting out of their car. “Officers! I surrender! Arrest me!” she yelled at them, desperate to get as far away as she could before Ward finished off the rest of the cops.

           

“Slow down, ma’am!” one of the cops said, holding out his arms to stop her. “What are you talking about?”

           

“I’m an agent of SHIELD! A wanted fugitive! Take me in!” she said as fast as she could with her hands up. For some reason, these idiots just looked at each other. Before she could think, she shoved both of them and yelled, “COME ON, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! GET ME OUT OF HERE!”

           

They both grabbed her by the arms and pulled her over the their police car. They bent her over the hood of the car and she heard the sound of handcuffs. _Thank God. Can’t we go any faster?_

           

“I’ll do whatever you want! But you should just--”

           

“SKYE!” She heard Ward’s voice ring out, and then the sound of two gunshots as the cops that were holding her fell to the ground. _Fucking hell._ She looked back and saw that he was at the door of the diner, immediately she turned and ran to the front door of the police car. She couldn’t remember ever having been so terrified.

           

She heard Ward’s voice behind her. “Skye! Don’t run!” She got into the front seat of the car. “You don’t understand!” He reached the door and she saw his face in the window as she floored it. “I’m not trying to hurt you!” he called after her. She almost laughed at that.

           

For the first time since she found Eric’s body, she felt a sense of safety. Ward was getting smaller and smaller in the rear view mirror as she drove away. Okay, now she needed to get back to the team.

           

She looked at the road and saw someone standing in the middle of it. For a moment, she panicked about hitting them, but then she saw him jump impossibly high. She looked up, and before she knew it, he was on the hood of the car.

           

Mike Peterson.

           

He punched his fist through the windshield and wrapped his hand around her throat. Skye screamed, and then everything went dark.

 

*****

 

“—he ordered me to shadow you,” was the first thing Skye heard as she started to wake up. Her head was killing her, but it took a second for everything to come back to her. The diner, the cops, Mike. “He knew you had a soft spot for Skye, and she might take advantage of it.” It was Mike who was talking. She was starting to stir; she rubbed her head, trying to ease this damn headache. She opened her eyes and saw Ward talking to Mike.

           

“Well he was wrong,” Ward said. “We have her. And when she gives us the location, we’ll be off.”

           

“Yeah, that’s not gonna happen,” Skye spoke for the first time, alerting them that she was awake. They looked at her as she stood up. Mike may have been the one to knock her out, but she glared hatefully at Ward. They both turned to face her.

           

“Take a walk,” Ward said to Mike. _Oh, is he your dog now?_ “I can handle this.”

           

“Can you?” Skye asked. “You haven’t so far.”

           

There was a pause, Mike turned to Ward. “Garrett says you have five minutes.” He walked away and Ward watched him go before turning back to Skye.

           

For a moment, they just stared at each other. Skye couldn’t recall ever feeling so much hatred for someone. She felt like she was going to burst from all the rage she was feeling.

           

He only made it worse when he said, “I can explain.” That was _it._

She surged forward and shoved him as hard as she could. “LYING BASTARD!” She punched him in the face and yelled, “SON OF A BITCH! YOU LYING--” she tried to get her hands around his throat, but he grabbed her arms and pulled them down.

           

“Stop!” he yelled at her as she kept pushing him backwards. He managed to still her and push her against the railing of the stairs. “Okay, okay? It’s over. You can’t win.” She had never been more frustrated. He was bigger, stronger, more experienced, and everything better than her when it came to combat. She could not beat him and that infuriated her more than anything else. He made her feel weak. She hated feeling helpless.

           

His face was close to hers, and she did something that Ward didn’t teach her, but she learned outside of SHIELD. She threw her head back and threw it forward again as hard as she could, slamming her forehead against Ward’s nose. She heard a crack, and under his breath, she heard him say “Ow…” and groan in pain. It was the most satisfying thing she had ever heard.

           

But of course, it still wasn’t enough. He turned her around and handcuffed her to the railing. She looked down at the cuffs and futilely tried to pull her hand out, but they were tight. She turned to face him, and saw that he grabbed a rag for his nose, which was now bleeding a little bit. That made her happy. If she couldn’t beat him, at least she made him bleed.

           

But now, she needed to lash out at him. She’d kept it all inside for far too long. “All this time. Everything we’ve been through…why? How could you?” she needed to hear his excuses. Maybe she wanted him to beg for forgiveness. Not that she would ever give it to him.

           

“I was on a mission,” he said. “It wasn’t personal.”

           

 _That’s it? That’s all you’re going to give me?_ “It wasn’t--” she couldn’t believe her ears. “You did _not_ just say that. It wasn’t _personal?!”_

           

“Skye, listen to me.” No. That is the last thing she needed to do right now.

           

“God, you might actually believe that! Do you—that is— _that_ is the _twisted logic_ that they teach you when you sign up to be a _Nazi.”_

           

He actually looked confused about this. Wow. The guy couldn’t even look up the terrorist organization that he’s a part of? “Stop, wait. I am not a Nazi,” Ward said.

           

“Yes,” Skye said immediately. “You are. That is exactly what you are. It’s in the SHIELD handbook. Chapter 1, the Red Skull, founder of Hydra, was a _big, fat, freaking Nazi!”_ She remembered Coulson getting on to her about reading the handbook, saying it was necessary for all agents to read. She had fought him on it, but now she couldn’t be more grateful, because she can throw it in Ward’s face.

           

“That has nothing to do with today.” Oh great, so he’s not even denying anymore that he’s a Nazi. Glad that’s been cleared up.

           

Skye was nowhere near done yet. “You know, you always had that Hitler youth look to you, so it’s really not that surprising.”

           

“It’s not like that,” _It’s not like what? Not like being a terrorist?_ “I’m a spy. I had a job.”

           

“You’ve killed I don’t know how many people!” Skye said. “You gonna kill me now?” She’s been waiting for it ever since they left Providence.

           

“No. I would never hurt you.”

           

She ignored this. He must be lying. “Once I crack the drive, are you just going to shoot me like you did with Thomas Nash? Or are you gonna have someone else do it? Like you did with Quinn?” she needs throw his crimes back in his face, she won’t forget them.

           

“I didn’t know that was going to happen,” Ward said. “That was all Garrett.” _So it’s anyone’s fault but yours. What a surprise._

“Oh, of course it was Garrett’s fault. That was part of the mission, right? You’re just gonna kick back, and watch _me bleed,_ until it’s your turn to pull the trigger!” She wouldn’t let him get away with that. He works for the man who had her shot. He may as well have pulled the trigger himself.

           

He does look surprised at her words. “You think that I had a part in that? That I would let that happen to you?” She still doesn’t understand, this isn’t what she had counted on. “You know how I feel about you, Skye.” _Oh no._

“Wait…so even though you’ve been lying,” she said. “To everyone. About _everything.”_ She hesitated, not wanting the next part to be true. “You’re saying that your feelings for me--”

           

“They’re real, Skye,” he said as he approached her. He put his hands on both sides of her face. Once again, sickening her with his touch. “They always have been.”

           

She stared at him for a moment, then she inhaled, and gave him a look of absolute disgust and revulsion and said what she had wanted to say since she first found out he was Hydra. “I’m gonna throw up.” She recoiled from his touch, moving away from him. She wished she could go further, but she still had the handcuffs on. She couldn’t get more than a few feet away from him. She moved to the other side of the stairs, trying to put something in-between them, but that didn’t do much to keep Ward from entering her personal space.

           

He was mad now, and he got in her face about it. “Do you think this has been easy for me?” he hissed at her, his eyes dark and terrifying. He was gritting his teeth, she had never seen him so mad. “Do you have _any idea_ how hard it was? The sacrifices, the decisions that _I_ had to make, but I made them. Because that’s what I do. I’m a survivor.”

           

He looked so scary in that moment that she knew this might not be a good idea, but she could not let him get away with these bullshit excuses. “You… _are a serial killer.”_ From the furious look on his face, she thought he might hit her. _Go ahead. Give me another reason to hate you._ “And you know what?” She continued. Needing to see this through. “You were right about one thing. I wouldn’t like the real you.”

           

His anger seemed to fall then, and he just looked sad. “Someday…” he said. “Someday you’ll understand.”

           

“No,” she said right away. “I won’t. And I will never _ever_ give you what you want.” She turned away and sat down on the steps then, and they both knew one thing, she wasn’t talking about the hard drive.

 

*****

 

Skye only had a few minutes to herself after Ward walked away. Apparently Hydra waits for no one to finish thinking of an escape plan. She had resigned herself to trying to squeeze her hand out of her handcuffs. She remembered how May once broke her wrist to get out of hers and save all their asses. She wished she knew how to do that and once again, she wished May was with her.

           

While she was working on getting out of the cuffs, she heard Ward and Mike approach her. “Time’s up,” Ward said. Skye turned to face them. The two of them stopped in front of her. “You can tell me where to unlock the drive,” Ward went on. “Or you can tell him,” he said, looking at Mike.

           

Skye looked away from Ward and straight at Mike. He wouldn’t hurt her. He couldn’t. There was no way they could make Mike torture her. “Mike,” she said, and took a few careful steps forward. “Please…I know you don’t want to do this.”

           

Ward stepped away, and Mike answered her. “It’s not up to me.”

           

“Yes, it is,” Skye said. “I don’t care what they did to you. You’re still Mike Peterson.” She was trying to remind him of who he is. He’s not the monster Hydra made him to be. “You’re still a father. You have a son.”

           

“Who I left in your hands,” Mike said. She had hit a nerve. “I asked you to look after him, Skye. Where is he now?”

           

“He’s with his aunt,” Skye sputtered. “Under the protection of a SHIELD team--”

           

“And what is SHIELD today? Hydra can hurt my son any time that they want, and if I get any funny ideas about rescuing him…they push a little button, and blow a whole in my skull.”

           

Skye was flooded with guilt. Mike told her to take care of Ace, and she didn’t. She tried to come up with something. “Fitzsimmons will figure out a way--”

           

“No,” Mike said. He sounded final. Unwavering. “There’s no way out of this, Skye,” he sounded apologetic. He didn’t want to do this. But he had to. Mike moved closer to her, he suddenly looked even bigger. “Tell us how to unlock the drive.”

           

Her eyes locked with his, and they just stared at each other for a moment.

           

“No,” she said.

           

“Dammit, Skye!” Ward interjected.

           

She ignored him and went on pleading with Mike. “You could have shot me back in Italy, but you didn’t. They made Quinn do it because there’s still good in you, Mike. And I don’t think you’re gonna hurt me.”

           

He paused, looking down at her. She was begging with her eyes, she needed him to help her. “You’re right,” he said. “I won’t hurt you.” Skye felt a wave of relief wash over her.

           

Suddenly, Mike turned and held out his arm. He shot something into Ward’s chest; he immediately let out a gasp and fell to the ground. Ward seemed to be struggling to breathe.

           

“What—what did you do to him?” Skye asked, confused and panicked. Ward looked like he was dying right in front of her.

           

“Stopped his heart,” Mike said.

           

“His heart--” Skye whispered.

           

“Isn’t beating,” Mike finished for her. He turned to face her. “He’s having a heart attack. I can restart it, or not. It’s your choice.”

           

Skye looked at Ward, he managed to choke out her name, but it was barely audible.

           

For a moment, Skye was happy to see him in pain. After all he had done to her and the team, part of her believed he deserved this, and she was satisfied for a moment. “You think I don’t want to watch him suffer?”

           

“Not suffer,” Mike said, coming closer. “Die. Garrett doesn’t think you’re gonna let that happen.”

           

Skye looked at Ward’s dying form again. “He’s a murderer.”

           

“Yes. He is,” Mike said. Then he turned to look at her again. “Are you?”

           

She hesitated, staring at Ward as the last few breaths went out of him. He looked dead. She couldn’t unlock the hard drive for them, but having Ward’s blood on her hands might be more than she can handle. Despite all the rage she had for him in the last twenty-four hours, she couldn’t say that any decent feeling towards him was gone. She couldn’t have this on her conscience. It was too much to bear.

           

“Okay, stop,” Skye said, not even sure if this is what she wanted.

           

“Where do you unlock the--”

           

“Bring him back!” She was getting desperate now, Ward wasn’t moving anymore.

           

“ _Where?_ ”

           

“Thirty-five thousand feet! It’s not based on longitude and latitude, it’s altitude.”

           

“You’re lying.”

           

“I’m NOT!” She couldn’t argue this right now. “I put the password in, and I start the hack and once we reach altitude it unlocks. Now bring him back!”

           

Mike seemed to believe her. He opened up his hand, and life came back into Ward’s body. He took a huge breath as his heart started again. In that moment, Skye realized that she just brought a serial killer back to life, and wonder how much blood will be on her hands because of her decision.

           

Mike unlocked her handcuffs, took her arm, and led her to her laptop. “Put the password in, start the hack. No tricks,” Mike said. This time, she had no choice.

           

Mike walked back over to Ward and pulled him to his feel. “You. You son of a bitch,” Ward said to him. _You’re one to talk._

“Get the plane in the air,” Mike told him.

           

“Can’t!” Ward pushed him off. “I can barely stand.”

           

Mike opened his fist at the device again, it activated and suddenly Ward stood up straighter. Mike slapped his cheek twice. “That should help.” At least Skye could have some satisfaction in knowing Mike shared her disdain for Ward.

 

*****

 

Ward had brought her to the interrogation room and locked her in. _Back where I started._ She didn’t know where they were going, she presumed to Garrett. What were they going to do with her? She assumed she’d be killed. Since apparently Ward and Mike couldn’t do it, maybe Garrett would have the honor. Or maybe Ward will keep her around as his prize. Trying to get her to “understand” like he had said. She shuddered when she thought of that. She’d rather be dead then stuck with these Nazis. But she wished she could help Mike.

           

The only thing she had going for her was the Trojan horse she managed to put in their system when Mike and Ward were arguing. But if she couldn’t escape and get back to the team, then it was worthless. She felt the plane start to ascend, and she just about lost all hope. She couldn’t go anywhere, she’d felt trapped for so long.

           

After a few minutes in the air, the door opened. She looked up, expecting Ward, hoping for Mike, but what she got was better than anything she could have expected.

 

Coulson.

           

He was there, gun in hand, looking at her with so much relief on his face. Skye gasped, shot out of her chair, and threw herself into his arms. Finally, she felt safe. They held each other for a moment, not wanting to let go. When Coulson pulled back.

           

“Are you okay?” He asked, looking worried. “Did Ward hurt you?”

           

“No, I’m okay,” she wanted to reassure him, but she needed to tell him about the hard drive, not wanting to disappoint him. “But…encrypted hard drive. I unlocked it for them--”

           

“Forget that. We need to move. We’re gonna take the cockpit.” He was out the door, Skye close on his heels.

           

When they reached to living area, Skye looked around for the rest of the team, no one was there. “Wait, you came alone?”

           

“It’s okay, I can take Ward,” Coulson said.

           

“Well, I know, but how did you get past Deathlok?” Skye asked, suddenly nervous.

           

Coulson stopped in his tracks and turned to look at her. Alarm written all over his face. “Deathlok’s here? On the plane?”

           

“Yeah, you didn’t take him out?” Skye saw Mike behind Coulson, and he turned and saw him too.

           

Coulson turned back to her. “New plan, run!” He ran to the plane’s holotable.

           

“Wait, what about you?” Skye wasn’t ready separate from him again.

           

“Get to the cargo hold, now!” Coulson said.

           

Skye knew she had to listen. She sprinted to the cargo hold, grabbed her laptop and backpack out of Fitzsimmons’ lab, and ran to grab a parachute. She was suddenly terrified. She didn’t know how to use a parachute; she had never even seen anyone use one. But she needed to get off that plane, and was willing to do anything. The cargo hold door began to open, courtesy of Coulson she assumed. As she was putting the parachute around her shoulders, she saw Coulson sprint through the door to the top of the stairs.

           

“I’ve never used a parachute before!” She yelled up at him over the wind.

           

“Forget that! Get in the car!” Coulson yelled back as he sped down the stairs.

           

Skye dropped the parachute, grabbed her backpack, and hurled herself into the shotgun seat of Lola. Thank God for flying cars. Coulson quickly followed, jumping into the driver’s seat. Skye looked up and saw Mike, who skipped the stairs and just jumped over the railing. He was only a few feet in front of them. Coulson pressed a button and she heard shots going off from the front of the car, aiming at Mike. For a fleeting moment, she hoped he’d be okay. But she didn’t have long to worry about him.

           

Ward ran into the cargo hold, at the top of the stairs, gun in hand. Skye was filled with panic. She could not stay here another minute. She’d jump out of the plane without a parachute or Lola before she’d stay with Ward.

           

“Get down! Get down!” Coulson yelled, throwing his arm on her back and pushing her down.

           

She immediately put her head down too and shielded her head as best she could. She heard the shots ring out from Ward’s gun. When she and Coulson looked up again, she saw the shots on Lola’s bulletproof glass. He was aiming at both of them. Mike raised his arm, and some kind of gun came out.

           

“Buckle up!” Coulson yelled. She looked down for a seat belt, but before she could get it, Coulson was already backing out of the cargo hold. She screamed, as she was suddenly airborne. She flew out of her seat. Coulson reached up and grabbed her arm, yanking her back in the car. She frantically tried to get herself seated again, and when her feet were down, she grabbed her seat belt and buckled it.

           

“I told you to buckle up!” Coulson yelled.

           

He hit a button, and she saw the wheels start to turn. Hopefully they would be flying soon. Then they were suddenly upside down and spinning. Why wasn’t it working? She had seen this car fly first hand.

           

Coulson kept pressing the same button. “Come on!” he yelled. “He must have hit the thrusters!” Ward must have damaged the car when he was shooting at them, which must be why the car wasn’t working.

           

They were scaling a building, with Coulson still hitting the same button, when Lola suddenly sputtered to life. The car was smoking, but it was flying, and just before they would have hit the ground. They managed to fly over to the front of the building and land in a parking space. Weirdly enough, no one seemed to notice.

           

She and Coulson were both a little shell-shocked. They turned to look at each other, and realized their hair looked ridiculous. Both frizzed up from Lola’s landing. Later, they would laugh about that.

           

Some guy came over to them, apparently not noticing their less than graceful entry. “That’ll be twenty bucks,” he was asking for money. And Coulson actually paid it.

 

*****

 

Coulson drove Skye back to the motel where they were all meeting up. She asked right away what happened to May, and to Skye’s relief, May really had left Providence, and Ward had not killed her like she feared he did. She also told him what had happened during her ordeal with Ward, thinking he needed to know.

           

When they got back to the motel, Fitz and Simmons were all over her. Fitz was clearly still very affected by Ward’s betrayal, and Simmons kept asking her if she was hurt, and all but gave her a full examination. Trip even hugged her, despite not knowing her that long, but she needed the comfort, and was happy to accept it. Meeting Maria Hill was unexpected, but definitely a highlight. She thanked all of them for coming to rescue her.

           

She was sitting outside by the pool, lost in her own thoughts. Fitz and Simmons were sitting on the edge of the pool with their feet in the water, Trip was in his room, and Coulson was talking to Hill.

           

That was, without a doubt, the longest twenty-four hours of her life. It may have only been a day, but it felt like a year. So much had changed in such a short period of time. Ward was Hydra. Her S.O., someone she cared about and trusted, was Hydra, and had been playing them all along. All of her memories of the last year were tainted by his presence. She thought she had found a family in SHIELD, even after it fell, she still had the team, and she thought they could still try to save the world together, just like before. But Ward had ruined what she came to see as her family. It was all gone.

           

His feelings for her were something too scary to contemplate. She keeps seeing the furious look on his face when she rejected him over and over again. The way he had lashed out at her was scary. She didn’t need him continuing to come after her. He had to be stopped. She had to stop him, somehow. She knew the team would help her; she just had to be patient.

           

Trip came out of his room and up to the vending machine next to where she was sitting. His chips came out and he started snacking. “I thought you didn’t eat junk food,” Skye said, remembering something he told her a few days ago when she offered him candy.

           

Trip shrugged. “I’m on vacation,” he said with his easy smile. Trip seemed like the best kind of guy to have around during a crisis.

           

Skye nodded. “Until…?”

           

She heard Coulson’s door open, and Trip’s eyes rested on him. “Until that man tells me it’s time to work.” So Trip was here for the long hall. That was good to know.

           

“Not tonight,” Coulson said, smiling at Trip. “Live a little.”

           

Trip laughed and smiled at Coulson, and then at Skye. “In that case, I’m gonna go crazy. Maybe have another bag,” he said as he walked away.

           

Skye smiled at Trip as he left. Glad someone could keep things light in the worst of circumstances.

           

Coulson put a dollar into the vending machine. “Never been homeless before,” he said.

           

“It’s not fun,” Skye said, remembering her time living in her van. “At least we have a pool.”

           

Coulson reached down for his chocolate bar, when he stood back up, he looked at Skye. They stared at each other for a moment, both knowing what the other was thinking. Coulson took a few steps forward to stand across from her at the table. “We’ll get him.”

           

“I know,” Skye believed him. When he says that, he means it. She leaned forward, eager to share some accomplishment from the day. “I left them a little present when I decrypted the drive. Should help.”

           

Coulson smiled at her, not even surprised that she got one over on Hydra. He broke his chocolate bar in half and leaned over the table to hand it to her. Skye took it and smiled what felt like her first genuine smile in a long time. “Thanks.”

           

They leaned back in their chairs in silence for a moment, before Coulson said, “Nice night.” Skye looked up at the stars, she could actually see them, the sky was clear.

           

Maybe she was staying at a shabby motel, but it didn’t matter. She was safe. _Nice night indeed._


End file.
